MS Sql server connection to a desktop c++ program

...compared to languages like VB that can do little else
:eek: Ooh, Nasty nasty! ;-) Which side of the bed did we wake up on today, eh?

For the record, VB and VB.Net are capable of WAY more than just connecting to databases easily. For instance, when was the last time you wrote a website entirely in C++? Never, right? I thought so...Oh, you've done it? How long did it take you? Hmm... and are you sick of typing superfluous {} barckets yet? :->

The fact is that C++, or even C, is the best choice when you need as much speed as possible, or need access to low-level OS features. VB and its derivatives/descendants, IMHO, is/are best when you need rapid GUI app development, database access, powerful web apps written in one language, or some combination of the above.

With that off my chest, the technology to look at for accessing MSSQL databases from C++ is called OLEDB.

See this link: http://www.codeproject.com/database/DBDevVCOLEDB.asp for info on how to get started, using ATL.

This link: http://samples.gotdotnet.com/quickstart/howto/doc/adoplus/adoplusoverview.aspx shows how to do it from ASP.NET, and has a sample in C++.

This link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q193332/ has a sample on creating OLEDB connection strings.

SQLAPI (http://www.sqlapi.com/) is a shareware library that claims to make it easy to connect to various databases; I haven't tried it, so I can't comment on it.

Finally, this: http://www.codeproject.com/database/#OLE+DB is a collection of articles and samples on programming OLEDB, which use C++ with and without ATL.

Hope that helps.

-Andrew